Hiking Hetch Hetchy - the forgotten Yosemite
By Tom Stienstra, Chronicle Staff Writer
Published 02:09 p.m., Wednesday, July 18, 2012
...Five years ago, the Department of Water Resources completed a study that said it was feasible to drain Hetch Hetchy and restore a second Yosemite Valley. This month, the organization Restore Hetch Hetchy, supported by three former Yosemite superintendents, turned in signatures to put a measure on the November ballot that would require the City of San Francisco to come up with a plan to do that. If approved, another measure would then appear in 2016 that would require the plan be implemented by 2035.
Nobody argues with the need for the water. The premise is that it doesn't need to be stored in a national park.
Last week, a group of four of us launched off on an expedition into the Yosemite wilderness above Hetch Hetchy and to descend into the canyon as if simulating the experience of the trailblazers of the 1800s. The Furniss clan of explorers, hydrologist Michael Furniss, son Liam, and nephew Chris, all with advanced science degrees, eager to see the hidden Yosemite, joined in.
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Hiking-Hetch-Hetchy-the-forgotten-Yosemite-3717396.php#page-1